Work Songs

“I Hear America Singing” is a poem by Walt Whitman that celebrated the American occupations during his time. I believe that Whitman focused on occupation as a representation of America because it requires workers of each occupation to do their best to create a strong and successful country. By describing the work as different types of songs, Whitman gave the poem a more merry and lighthearted tone. It also makes it sound like all of their workers are satisfied with their jobs. One part I liked about the poem was the inclusion of domestic jobs for women. Whitman acknowledged the female’s role in society and not just the men’s. He wrote, “The delicious singing of the mother—or of the young wife at work—or of the girl sewing or washing”. Another part I liked about the poem was how he described the singing of each type of occupation to be unique, which is quite true.

This poem that Whiteman wrote was of occupations during his time. If he were to be writing in the present day, the occupations would be drastically different. There are more jobs related to high-technology and electronics, which the people didn’t have back then.